Cedar elm. Micah Pace of the Texas Forest Service highly recommends it because it’s tough, tolerating drought and poor soils. It can live on rainwater alone once established. Cedar elms can suffer from powdery mildew and mistletoe, which can disfigure but not kill it.

Chinkapin oak. An excellent native shade tree that can withstand drought. It is a good shade tree and has a pretty, serrated leaf, but its fall color is not spectacular. It and the bur oak are members of the white oak family, considered less susceptible to death from oak wilt disease, which is present in North Texas.

Bald cypress. It has become one of the most popular trees in the area over the last few years. It can grow in wet spots and tolerates unimproved clay as long as the soil is not compacted. Many of these trees went dormant during the drought, but once some rain fell, the dry, brown foliage renewed itself.

Lacebark elm. Known for its coppery and orange exfoliating bark, this medium-size tree also has great fall color. It grows quickly, is drought-tolerant and will handle the alkaline soil found throughout North Texas. It needs proper pruning to help it develop a strong branch structure.

Desert willow. This native and its hybrids are popular because of their extreme drought-tolerance and long flowering period. They are smaller trees that grow rapidly and can provide a pretty alternative to the crape myrtle. Place it with other drought-tolerant plants to avoid overwatering.

Special Contributor

Planting a tree brings an extra commitment. You absolutely must be willing to water it, not just occasionally, but regularly. Young trees need a little extra care for at least the first two years in their new setting, your landscape, but because of the continuing drought, experts say watering two or three times a week is critical.

“It’s absolutely not the time to plant a tree and walk away,” says Karen Woodard, urban forester for the city of Dallas.

Fall and early winter are the traditional tree planting times. The cooler autumn days give the trees a chance to develop strong root systems before the heat of summer sets in. Local nurseries are getting in their new stocks of ornamental and fruit trees.

Some homeowners may be rushing to plant trees to replace those damaged by the summer’s heat and drought. That may not be necessary, Woodard and other tree experts say.

At least a few of the trees that look dead now may show fresh growth in the spring. Many of them shut down during the hottest times, shedding leaves to keep the tree’s core alive. The leaves may have turned brown and crisp, but that does not necessarily mean the rest of the tree is lifeless.

Micah Pace, Dallas regional urban forester for the Texas Forest Service, agrees with Woodard. “There’s absolutely no reason not to plant a tree.”

He says it’s better to plant a small tree than a larger one. “Smaller trees grow faster, which will allow the tree to establish itself more quickly,” he says. Research has shown that trees with 1- to 3-inch-diameter trunks catch up in size to larger trees within a few years, he says.

Planting the tree at the proper depth is key, he said. Too many people plant the tree too deeply, smothering the roots.

“That’s the No. 1 error I see,” Pace says.

Don’t pay a lot of attention to how the tree is planted in the container, he says. A tree’s root flare, where it flares out from the vertical trunk, may have been buried in soil at the tree farm, because it has been transplanted into a succession of larger plastic nursery pots as it grew.

The top of that flare needs to be above ground level to allow the tree to breathe. It’s better to leave too much of the root flare exposed than to plant it too deeply. The flare can be covered by backfill or sink into the soil as it settles.

“And it will settle,” Pace says.

Once planted, you have to stay on top of the watering schedule, says Barrett Fannin, one of the owners of Fannin Tree Farm in Frisco. There are ways to make that easier. He recommends gator bags, large plastic bags that fit around the bottom of the tree that can be filled with water that gradually drains onto the tree roots.

Or you can drill tiny holes in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket, set it near the tree and fill it. This device also slowly waters the roots.

Pace says it is difficult to give general advice on what type of tree to plant in the area. “There are species that can be planted in Irving and Arlington that you wouldn’t plant in Plano,” he says.

Karel Holloway is a Terrell freelance writer.

garden@dallasnews.com

Before planting any tree, consider:

● Why do you want the tree? Is it for shade, to provide color or just to fill in a blank spot?

● How much space will the tree have to develop to maturity? Don’t plant an oak for a 20-foot-diameter clearing, and don’t choose a slow-growing magnolia if you want quick impact.

● Know what type of soil the tree prefers. Your favorite tree may not grow well in your native soil, be it shallow soil on top of limestone or heavy clay that holds water.

● How much care will it need? Will it need regular trimming to fit the space? Is it a genus that is susceptible to disease or insects?

More about trees

Even though the drought has been tough on trees, most arborists are not changing the species they recommend. They are pressing native trees a little harder because they are more likely to be adapted to your site. You can find a list of the best trees by county at texastreeplanting.tamu.edu, a service of the Texas Forest Service.